Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

I've always wondered if that saying (today's blog title) is true, so to test it out I thought I'd wait almost 2 weeks between blogs! :) And I have to say that I'm flattered that even after so long you have all continued to check the blog for updates (and I haven't heard a single complaint)! So without further ado, here is what we have been up to since the last update!

As you may remember, April 2nd marked the last weekday play-date that Maja would have for a while with her BFF Christine and her adorable brother Dashiell because their mommy (Steph) returned to work on the 3rd (and I'm happy to report, Steph is doing fine). Well the next day, Maja was quite upset so to help ease her distress we called in the reinforcements... the Grandmas! :) In the morning, Grandma came by for a visit (here's a shot of Maja showing Grandma how she knows the colours of her stacking cups)...

And then we went to Sam's Club with Bakica in the afternoon (here's a shot of Maja playing in the water thingy (yes that's what it was called according to the box...) that was on display - she literally spent about 1/2 an hour sitting there playing in the water and moving the stones around)...Then after those visits, Maja seemed to be back to her usual self - thanks guys! Friday night, Maja (and Marvin & I) had a special treat. Teta Linda came by to babysit Maja while Marvin & I had a date. Maja (and Teta too) had a great time at home and Marvin & I had a great time going out to dinner and then bowling. After a mere 45 minutes of bowling though, Marvin & I declared that we were old and that three games of bowling was plenty (thank you very much) and that we were likely going to be sore the next day (and we were). So a great big thanks to Teta for her babysitting services! Yeah Teta!

On Saturday, because it was such a beautiful day, Marvin & Maja thought they would hang out in the backyard together enjoying the sunshine. Here's a shot of the two of them in mid "high-5" action. It was so nice to finally get back outdoors and enjoy the fresh air (and to catch up with the neighbours who have also been hibernating over the long winter)...On Sunday, Marvin, Maja & I went to church in the morning and bumped into Bakica. So after mass, we all headed over to Ikea for a nice yummy breakfast (Steph, I'm sorry I went to Ikea without you - but trust me, I was thinking about you the whole time we were there - I swear!). I think for the rest of the weekend we just hung out at home and enjoyed our time together.

Also during the week, Grandma came by to babysit Maja so that Marvin & I could go to our last regular season Raptors game (playoffs start on Sunday against Orlando - yippee!). As usual, Grandma & Maja had a blast together, especially during bathtime. Here's a cute shot of Maja splashing around in the tub then posing for Grandma...On Thursday, we continued with our usual routine of having Sara (and her belly) & Nick come over for dinner and to watch Survivor. But just before they came, Maja thought we should do a little bit of last minute cleaning up. Here she is vacuuming the bathroom floor trying to get rid of the endless supply of Mommy's hair...
This past weekend, Maja was in good spirits when she woke up on Saturday morning, despite the rainy day we were having. When we told her that we were going to see the model homes for the Princess Margaret lottery, Maja got so excited that she did the "step on Daddy's feet cha-cha dance" to celebrate...
Sunday was pretty laid back. We went to church in the morning, went back home for naptime but then after Maja woke up, she & I headed over to visit Grandma & Grandpa's place so that Marvin could have some long overdue "Daddy alone time". I think he thoroughly enjoyed just lounging around watching sports, like the good ol' days! :)

On Monday, we puttered around the house for a bit playing inside. To be honest, I know it was only 2 days ago, but I can't remember what else we did. How sad is that?!? I apologize now to anyone that I spent time with on Monday and that I don't remember what a blast we had doing whatever we did! :) Then yesterday, Grandma came over for another visit so that I could get a bunch of odds and ends done sans-Maja. Once Grandma left though, Maja was lost. :( She was looking everywhere for her "Sarah Brightman" CD that Grandma let her borrow on the weekend (apparently Maja just loved one of her songs when it was on the radio and she asked for more so Grandma put on her CD. From then on, everything was "Sarah Brightman", "Sarah Brightman", "Sarah Brightman"...). So to distract Miss Maja from the lost cause of searching for the CD (Grandma had brought it back home), I set up two trays of water in the kitchen and let Maja go to town. Here's a cute picture of her lounging in one of the trays getting soaking wet...
Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that we have a "Mourning Dove" nesting in the tree outside our living room window. So this morning I snapped a picture of it. I can't wait to see the little birdies when they hatch...

And finally here's a short video of Maja yesterday playing in the water making cookies for Grandpa (aka "cookies Grandpa")...